911 ResponsAbility

Congratulations, Terry Mclarty!

Last week, the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) completed its voting to fill a vacancy on the NG9-1-1 Industry Collaboration Events Steering Committee. Devery Thumann of Motorola and InterAct’s own Terry McLarty split the vote almost equally, and as a consequence, both were elected to the Steering Committee. Congratulations to both men for being elected to the Steering Committee with such enthusiasm from your peers!

Terry will be one of the voting members of the Steering Committee that is charged with representing the interests and opinions of the vendor community within NENA’s Next Generation Partner Program Certification and Accreditation Program (NGPP C&A) as well as his obligations to the wider Committee and NENA governance.

All of you who have worked with Terry in the past knows that the Committee is in good hands with Terry on it. For those of you not familiar with Terry’s work, he is arguably one of the most innovative thinkers working on 911 Telephony Design and Engineering issues today.

Congratulations again to both Devery and Terry. You have challenging, yet rewarding, work ahead of you! 

Competition Beware - Our Customers Love Us

Recently we learned that one of our competitors was calling our customers offering to schedule a "needs assessment of their InterAct software". One customer thought it sounded suspicious and called us to ask if we had partnered with this company and confirm if it was legitimate. Of course it wasn't, which only succeeded in making the customer mad at the company practicing this underhanded sales tactic.

We decided to send out an announcement letting all of our customers know that we had not contracted with any outside company to perform needs assessments on our systems. The response of support from our customers has been humbling. I would like to share a few of the responses I have received from customers thanking us for the information and pledging their support for InterAct.

“No one has contacted our PSAP.  But we will get caller ID for you if they do.”

“Thank you for the information, I will make sure those that receive these calls are aware of it. We occasionally get calls from different vendors, but when I talk to them I tell them that we are quite happy with our current product and are in no way seeking to replace the product we have in place. I will keep an eye on it.”

“I have not had anyone contact me,  if someone does,  three things will happen.  I will try to find out who they are,  I will decline their offer/ service, and I will notify you. Thanks for the heads-up.”

And my personal favorite:

“I will definitely put them in their place.”

And there were many more. It is all due to the hard work each and every one of our employees does every day to ensure our customers are happy and that we have great products and services. 

2008 Sales Kickoff

Last week we had our 2008 Sales Kickoff. We changed up the format of the meeting this year and made it interactive which everyone seemed to enjoy. At least it was easier to stay awake once that 2:00 PM nap time came around. :)

We had a great time each night too with dinner at Diamondback where we watched a bit of the BCS Championship game, and then went to the Wake Forest vs. BYU basketball game.

Drew Allvine was recognized as our top sales person of the year for the second year in a row. Congrats Drew!

 

We're looking forward to a successful 2008!

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Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to our fearless leader (a.k.a. President and COO), Ted Collins!

The "Love, Paul" is a little inside joke...long story :)

Happy Holidays!

InterAct had our Holiday Party today. It was great to get out of the office and socialize with other members of the SilkRoad Equity family based here in Winston-Salem. The Filling Station was a terrific location! Thanks to Barbara Cannon and her crew for managing the details.

Check out the photos!

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The InterActs play the Asheville Summer Picnic

Last Wednesday, our Asheville office had their Summer Picnic. Featured entertainment was the debut of "The InterActs"! Check them out - they sound great!!

And here are some pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/brian.beaudet/InterActsAshevilleCompanyPicnic2007

Familes for Roadside Safety

One of our employees, Matt Gibson, is affiliated with a Non-profit organization F-O-R-S (Families for Roadside Safety). The goal of Families for Roadside Safety is to educate and lobby for more aggressive penalties for violators that jeopardize the safety of those who protect us. Below, you will find information on new legislation recently passed in our home state of North Carolina. We would like to extend a big appreciation to Matt and to the President of F-O-R-S in her efforts, persistence and concern not only for the safety of our State Troopers but expanding the safety to all aspects of public safety. Not only do her efforts pay off for all of us, but it also keeps her husband safe as well.

NORTH CAROLINA'S AMENDED "MOVE OVER LAW" will become EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2006:

Changes to the law are as follows:

• Increase in fine for violation: From $25 to $250 plus court costs
• Addition of: Tow Truck Drivers and NCDOT IMAP (aka Public Service Vehicles) will be covered under the amended law in addition to the current coverage of law enforcement and emergency personnel.
• "Be Prepared to Stop": The law now states that if you cannot Move Over, you must reduce your speed and BE PREPARED TO STOP.
• Class 1 Misdemeanor:  If failure to move over and/or reduce speed for those covered under the law results in property damage in excess of $500 or personal injury, you will be charged with a misdemeanor.
• Class I Felony: If failure to move over and/or reduce speed for those covered under the law results in serious personal injury or death, you will be charged with a felony.

Bottom line...please be attentive when you drive...Lives depend on it.

Thank you to Clear Channel of Asheville for helping us educate your listeners!

For more information on Families for Roadside Safety, please visit http://www.f-o-r-s.com.